


Primrose

by Kangoo



Series: April Bouquet [26]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: 3x15 spoilers, Declarations Of Love, Drowning, First Kiss, Kinda?, M/M, Near Death, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:41:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23865445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kangoo/pseuds/Kangoo
Summary: Eddie fights to come back to Christopher — but not just him.
Relationships: Evan “Buck” Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: April Bouquet [26]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1685779
Comments: 8
Kudos: 89





	Primrose

**Author's Note:**

> this episode, man
> 
> theme: desperate

The water wraps around Eddie like a shroud.

It’s cold, here, dark and quiet. Like sitting at the bottom of the pool. He can’t hear the thunderstorm above, nor the constant chatter of EMTs and police officers, or be blinded by the blinking lights of emergency vehicles. Any other place he’d be almost grateful for the break. Any other time and he’d be making his own noise, his own light, thrashing around as he fought for his life.

But here, dazed and drowning, too shaken (hypothermia, with a side of concussion from the debris falling on top of him maybe) to even realize he’s dying, it only brings up memories. The chill of the Afghan desert at night; the pure darkness, broken only by gunfire and the helicopter going up in flames; everything muffled like he’s stuck cotton wool in his ears, from the explosion and rifles going off next to his head.

It feels a lot like dying. It felt a lot like it back then, too, but he remembers being more afraid. In more pain too: right now all he feels is numb. Still, driven by instinct and muscle memory, he closes his fist around his St. Christopher medal like he did that night, and lets memories wash over him.

(He’s not accepting his death. He’s _not_. But he’s accepted that he might not make it alive, and if it happens he’s not going down with anything else but his son in mind.)

These past years have been so good. Being near Christopher, watching him grow up into such a brilliant, funny, kind, brave, _amazing_ kid. Getting ready next to each other every morning and reading stories at night. Hearing his teachers sing his praise. Sticking together through it all — the loss and the hardships. It’s worth every sacrifice to be there, to watch Christopher grow into a wonderful person.

But he’s glad for every sacrifice he didn’t have to make, too. For every kindness the 118 showed him. For all the help they gave him. Buck, taking care of Christopher like he’s his son—

God, _Buck_.

Buck who’s been through so much and still finds it in himself to be the best friend Eddie’s ever had. Who almost died trying to keep Christopher safe during a _tsunami_. Who’s always there when Eddie needs him to be, with all his support and his sunshine smile. The entire 118 is family now but Buck is—

Buck is up there. Chris is up there. His family is above ground while he’s drowning. Are they worried? They must be. Fuck, he can’t disappear on Chris again, can’t leave him alone without even his mom to take care of him. He’d have Buck, though, but Eddie doesn’t want to _leave him to Buck_. He wants to be there with them. Eating pancakes and watching kids’ cartoons and drinking beers in companionable silence after everyone under 21 has gone to bed.

He can’t die here.

His chest ignites with fear, adrenaline flooding his veins and chasing away the creeping cold. He breaches the surface and drags a lungful of air. He’s living on borrowed time right now but he’ll make the most of it. He has to. For Christopher. And for Buck.

He dives under again. And then, he swims.

The next time he surfaces it’s to find the wide open sky up above. He inhales sharply, throat burning from the lack of oxygen, and for a moment lets his ragged breathing fill the silence.

He made it. He survived.

Other sounds slowly fade in as he gets used to the absence of forty feet of dirt and water above him, crushing him. Sirens. Radio static. Worried chatter. He blinks water out of his eyes and finds the red-and-blue lights of emergency vehicles blinking in the night.

They’re waiting for him. He shouldn’t make them wait any longer.

The reservoir isn’t far from the well around which they’re gathered but every stroke through the water feels like it takes the energy of a hundred. Getting himself out of the water almost makes him pass out. His feet feel like they were cast in lead. He keeps walking. One step at a time.

Eventually he reaches them, just in time to hear someone talk about picking up his heat signature. He cracks a smile as he stumbles into the light.

“Won’t be easy,” he breathes out. “I’m pretty cold.”

And then he collapses. Whatever his body was running on only lasted until he got to safety. He’s fine with that.

Strong hand reaches under him, pulling out of the mud and into an upright position. He lets his head roll to the side and catches Buck’s wide eyes, his disbelieving grin.

He’s such a beautiful sight, Eddie could kiss him.

He does.

He uses the last of his strength to grab the collar of Buck’s uniform and drags him down with no little help from the element of surprise. Their lips meet and it feels — well, like hypothermia and mud and getting hit in the face by your best friend’s face, but it’s pretty great too.

Someone — Hen, he thinks — laughs behind him, and there are a few scattered wolf whistles through the crowd. He lets go of Buck, breathless as much from the kiss as from exertion. Buck looks… dazed, then shocked, then, thank god, happy. His grip is firm on Eddie’s arm, hauling him up, and his grin is twice as bright as usual, slightly manic from relief.

“They thought you were dead,” Buck whispers as they drag him to a spot where Hen can take a better look at him.

Eddie smiles — instinct and muscle memory.

“I always come back to my family.”

**Author's Note:**

> come haunt me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/2Fast2Kangoo) or [tumblr](https://youngster-monster.tumblr.com/)


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